Name Date Period s1

NAME DATE PERIOD LESSON 8 Congress: The Legislative Branch United States History 11R

I. KEY ITEMS TO KNOW ABOUT THE CONGRESS

 Most closely represents the people à responsible for making the laws  Bicameral legislature

II. REQUIREMENTS FOR MEMBERSHIP

House of Representatives Senate

Minimum 25 years old AGE Minimum 30 years old

U.S. citizen for 7 years CITIZENSHIPU.S. citizen for 9 years

Must live in state they Must live in state they RESIDENCY represent represent

LESSON 8 CONGRESS: THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 1 House of Representatives Senate

Apportionment based on APPORTIONMEApportionment equal state’s population (435 NT (State among the states (2 per Membership) total) state – 100 total)

TERM OF 2-year term OFFICE 6-year term

• Vice President PRESIDING Speaker of the House OFFICER • President Pro Tempore

III.CONGRESSIONAL PRIVILEGES

A. ______

2015: $174,000 (all members); $223,000 (Speaker of the House)

B. Travel allowance

C. ______and funds for supplies

D. ______: right to send official mail free of postage

E. Freedom from ______during sessions

F. ______on the floor of Congress

1. Can not be sued for ______or ______

2. Free to speak and debate

LESSON 8 CONGRESS: THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 2 IV. CONGRESSIONAL SESSIONS

A. Meets in two regular sessions in a 2-year term

B. Session starts on ______and continues as long as there is a need

 Beginning with the first Congress 1789-1791, Congress is numbered in order (2015-2017: 114th Congress)

V. SPECIAL POWERS OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

A. Start all ______

B. Bring charges of ______against federal officials

C. Elect the ______if the ______fails to give a candidate a majority

VI. SPECIAL POWERS OF THE SENATE

A. ______negotiated by the President (2/3 majority vote)

B. Decide on ______trials (2/3 majority vote)

C. ______(majority vote)

D. Elect ______if Electoral College is deadlocked (tied)

LESSON 8 CONGRESS: THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 3 HOW A BILL BECOMES A LAW…

PRESIDENTIAL ACTIONS WITH A BILL

1. If signed within 10 days, it becomes law.

2. If not signed within 10 days, and Congress is still in session, it still becomes law.

3. POCKET VETO: Not signed, and Congress is NOT in session, it’s dead.

4. If President vetoes bill, ______

5. Congress may override Presidential veto with a ______vote in ______houses.

VII. HOW TO INFLUENCE VOTING IN CONGRESS

A. “FILIBUSTERING” IN THE SENATE

A.1. FILIBUSTER: Senate rules allow a senator to filibuster — to ______on any subject whatsoever to ______

A.2. A deliberate attempt by a Senator to “______”

A.3. Possible result  bill may be ______

A.4. Cloture

A.4.a) A process used by Senate to bring an end to a filibuster

A.4.b) A ______can halt a debate

B. LOBBYING AND THE INFLUENCE OF SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS

LESSON 8 CONGRESS: THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 4 B.1. Special Interest Groups: Political, economic, or social groups that attempt to ______

B.2. Lobbyists: ______hired by special interest groups to carry out their legislative goals

B.3. Who are they?

 ______(i.e., wealthy, activists, etc.)

 Corporations

 Fellow legislators

B.4. Actions used by lobbyists and special interest groups

 Meet with members of Congress and ______

 Arrange ______, ______, favors

 Urge public response

PROS OF LOBBYING CONS OF LOBBYING

LESSON 8 CONGRESS: THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 5 • They have the right to petition Congress • Questionable methods

• Allows special interest • ______groups to have an advantage over ______other groups

• Call attention to the • Information maybe one- ______sided

• Provide valuable information

LESSON 8 CONGRESS: THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 6 VIII. OTHER PRACTICES INFLUENCING VOTING IN CONGRESS

A. ______: Members of Congress provide ______and other spending for their home districts  “bringing home the bacon”

B. ______: Deal-making and the ______among members of Congress à trades for votes

• “You vote for my bill, I’ll vote for yours.”

C. Gerrymandering:

• A practice that attempts to ______for a particular party or group by ______to create biased electoral districts. • An attempt to manipulate the boundaries of (an electoral constituency) so as to ______.

LESSON 8 CONGRESS: THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 7 What, exactly, is “Gerrymandering”?

Gerrymandering, in U.S. politics, is the act of drawing the boundaries of electoral districts in a way that gives one party an unfair advantage over its rivals. The term is derived from the name of Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts, whose administration enacted a law in 1812 defining new state senatorial districts. The law consolidated the Federalist Party vote in a few districts and thus gave disproportionate representation to Democratic-Republicans. The outline of one of these districts was thought to resemble a salamander. A satirical cartoon by Elkanah Tisdale appeared in the Boston Gazette; it graphically transformed the districts into a fabulous animal, “The Gerry-mander,” fixing the term in the popular imagination. Gerrymandering has been condemned because it violates two basic tenets of electoral apportionment—compactness and equality of size of constituencies. A U.S. Supreme Court ruling of 1964 stated that districts should be drawn to reflect substantial equality of population. However, using studies of regional voting behavior, the majority parties in certain state legislatures continue to set district boundaries along partisan lines without regard for local boundaries or even contiguity. For example, in some states, representatives from rural and small town districts seek to limit the representation of more densely populated urban centers. Sometimes gerrymandering is defended as the only means of securing any representation for minority groups. It is argued that violating local boundaries in drawing districts is preferable to denying a politically cohesive group any voice in state government.

QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER… 1. What is gerrymandering in your own words?

GERRYMANDERING:

2. Why might the act of gerrymandering be considered negative toward promoting democracy?

3. What positive impact could gerrymandering have within a democratic society?

LESSON 8 CONGRESS: THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH 8